Lubricant dispensing device



Feb. 18,. 1941. I R. J. GRAY LUBRI CANT DISPENSING DEVICE FiledMarch 27, I939 :7 INVENTO Patented Feb. 18, 1941 LUBRICANT DISPENSING DEVICE Russell J. Gray, Meadvillc, Minn.

Application March 27, 1939, Serial No. 264,332

2 Claims.

The present invention relates to lubricantdispensing devices, andit relates more particularly to devices adapted to discharge lubricant at optional high or low discharge pressures.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide an inexpensive compact manually operable lubricant-dispensing device which may be quickly and easily operatively assembled, to dispense lubricant at optional high or lowdischarge pressures, and one wherein the changeover from high to low discharge pressures, or vice versa, may be quickly and easily effected.

Other objects will appear more fully from the following detailed description and accompanying drawing and appended claims.

For the purpose of illustrating the invention,

there is shown in the accompanying drawing one form thereof which is at present preferred, since the same has been found in practice to give satisfactory and reliable results, although it is to be understood that the various instrumentalities of which the invention consists can be variously arranged and organized and that the invention is not limited to the precise arrangement and organization of the instrumentalities as herein shown .and described.

Referring to the drawing, wherein like reference characters indicate like parts- Figure 1 represents a'fragmentary longitudinal sectional view taken through a lubricant-dispensing device constituting oneembodiment of the present invention.

Figure 2 represents a sectional view taken on line 2--2 of Figure 1, looking in the direction of the arrows. I

Figure 3 represents a fragmentary elevational view showing the lubricant-expelling. portion of the device illustrated in Figure 1 set for a lowpressure discharge of lubricant.

Figure 4 represents a fragmentary elevational view of the forwardly disposed pump housing portion of the device illustrated in Figure 1.

The lubricant-dispensing device illustrated in Figure 1 preferably includes a thin sheet-metal f lubricant reservoir I having a cylindrical body 8 whose open ends are closed by circular end walls 9 and I0 respectively, which may be generally permanently secured to said body by the annular lapped seams H and I2.

. A coarsely-threaded screw-flange 13, which is preferably centrally provided on an end wall 9, acts as an anchorage member for a forwardly disposed pump housing 2|. This screw-flange I3 may be formed integrally with the reservoir end wall 9, or it may be formed separately therefrom and suitably secured thereto, as for instance by being soldered thereto, orthe like. A readily removable screw-cap, not shown in the drawing, may be initially associated with the screw-flange 13 to seal the reservoir I prior to the operative assembly of the lubricant-dispensing device.

In the illustrated embodiment of the present invention, the reservoir 1 is provided with its own internal lubricant follower I4, but it is to be expressly understood that, if desired, a master follower l4 may be provided 'for successive use with a plurality of lubricant reservoirs each devoid of individual followers.

In the former case, the follower is preferably initially diposed in close proximity to the rear; reservoir end wall Ill. The follower 14 may include a relatively thin sheet-metal reinforcing disc I5 having any suitable lubricant-resistant fibrous or leather cupped or flanged packing disc 16 associated with the side thereof facing the body of lubricant within the reservoir 1. Therim of this disc I6 is preferably turned or flanged as at H to improve the effectiveness of the seal which the follower 14 makes with the wall of the cylinder 8 as it slides axially therethrough.

The lubricant follower I4 is also preferably provided with an apertured internally threaded hub 18 adapted to receive a reciprocable pistonrod 33, and further adapted screw-threadedly to engage with a raised screw-thread 35 carried by said piston-rod. I

In order to facilitate the introduction of the piston-rod into the body of the lubricant reservoir I, the latter, if initially provided with its own internal lubricant follower It, may have its rear H I end wall Ill centrally scored in circular fashion, to permit a small disc bounded by said scoring to be readily punched out of, or several from, said end wall l0, thus providing a relatively small opening 20 through which the piston rod 33 may be inserted. This opening 20 may be punched out, or formed by any suitable tool or instrument. If desired, however, this opening 23 may be preformedinthe end wall In, and may becovered prior to use either by a frangible disc, or by a;

manually removable disc soldered onto the reserlower 14, the entire end-wall i0 is preferably completely severed or cut away from the cylindrical body 8 along an annular line immediately adjacent the lapped seam or bead I2, leaving a maximum-sized end-opening.

The master follower l4 and the piston rod may then be inserted into the body of the lubricant reservoir through said large end-opening.

Onto the projecting screw-flange I3 is screwed a barrel-like pump housing 2!, provided with an internally-threaded socket 22 for receiving said screw flange, a relatively short piston-retraction chamber 23 communicating therewith, and a somewhat smaller diametered high-pressure cylinder 24. The forward or discharge end of the cylinder 24 is provided with a spring-pressed check-Valve 25, which may be housed withinthe widened mouth 26 of the barrel 2|, and which in the illustrated embodiment of the present invention is seated against the edge of an annular shoulder 21.

A push-on nozzle 28 is preferably screwthreadedly associated with the forward or the discharge end of the barrel 2|. The term pushon nozzle is intended to comprehend all lubricant-delivery nozzles which are adapted to establish a seal against a lubricant-receiving fitting or nipple when thrust and held more or less axially thereagainst, and includes not only the non-interlocking type of nozzle illustrated in Figure 1, but also the chuck type interlocking nozzles or couplers, as for instance those shown in Patents Nos. 2,016,809; 2,056,249; and 2,061,062.

The high-pressure cylinder-end 29 of the nozzle 28 may provide an abutment for the valveclosing spring of the check-valve 25. The discharge end of the push-on nozzle 28 may be provided with a frusto-conical guide surface 30 for guiding the adjacent spherical sealing surface 3| into operative sealing contact with the end of the particular lubricant-receiving fitting or nipple selected to receive lubricant, provided of course that the machine part into which the lubricant is to be dispensed is provided with a fitting or nipple.

A high-pressure lubricant-expelling piston 32, disposed at the forward end of the manually reciprocabl'e piston-rod 33 provided with an endhandle 34, is adapted to reciprocate into and out of the high-pressure cylinder 24, thereby alternately to propel the lubricant already in said cylinder past the hydraulically unseated checkvalve 25, and on its return stroke to create sufficient suction in said cylinder 24 to suck lubricant thereto from the reservoir 1 upon retraction of said piston 32 from said cylinder 24. The tip or nose of the piston 32 is preferably tapered or rounded, as is the entrance into the high-pressure cylinder 24, so that the piston will be easily guided into said cylinder on its forward stroke.

The diameter of the piston-rod 33 is such as to permit the rod to slide freely through the internally-threaded aperture IQ of the follower hub 18. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the diameter of the piston-rod 33 substantially equals the inside diameter of the screwthreaded aperture l9, and corresponds to the diameter of the high-pressure piston 32.

Means are provided for detachably locking the lubricant follower l4 to the piston-rod 33. Such means may include a raised screw-thread 35 provided on the piston-rod 33 and adapted for screwthreaded engagement with the follower hub thread l9. In this fashion, the lubricant follower l4 may be positively and directly advanced through the body of the lubricant reservoir by the piston-rod 33, thereby to expel the lubricant therefrom at a low discharge pressure. In this phase of operation of the device, the member !4 acts as a low-pressure lubricant-expelling piston, rather than as a lubricant follower.

The lubricant-dispensing device forming the subject matter of the present invention preferably further includes a piston-rod-guide member 36 engageable with the reservoir 1 for directing and guiding the piston rod 33 during its operative reciprocations. This guide member 36 is preferably readily engageable with the rearmost end of the lubricant reservoir 1, and may include a cylindrical annular flange portion 31, a hub 38 suitably apertured slidably to receive the piston-rod 33, and a plurality of inwardly bent spring prongs 39, 39, preferably struck from the flange 31 and adapted to be snapped operatively over the rear bead 12 of the lubricant reservoir.

The hereinabove described lubricant-dispensing device may be readily operatively assembled as follows. The closure cap is first unscrewed from the reservoir screw-flange I3, and the pump housing 2| is securely anchored thereto by tightly screwing it down over said screw flange I3. To prevent any possible leakage at this connection, the housing socket 22 may be internally provided with a resilient annular sealing member 40, and the seal established thereby may be supplemented, if desired, by an auxiliary sealing member 4| encircling the base of the screwflange l3.

If the lubricant reservoir 1 be provided with its own internal lubricant follower M, the reservoir end wall I0 is preferably centrally perforated or opened as at 20. Piston 32 is then inserted through said aperture 20 and through the aligned follower hub aperture l9, and the pistonrod 33 is rotated by means of its end handle 34, to thread the raised piston-rod thread portion 35 into engagement with the internal thread of the hub aperture Hi. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention sufiicient friction exists between the follower rim I1 and the inner wall of the reservoir, and between the follower I4 and the body of the lubricant within the reservoir, to retard and preferablywholly prevent rotation of said follower I 4 during this'threading phase.

If the lubricant reservoir 1 be devoid of any internal lubricant follower, then the entire reservoir end wall I0 is preferably severed or cut away from the body 8 along an annular line immediately adjacent the lapped end seam l2, and a master follower I4 (which may or may not be screw-threadedly engaged with the piston-rod 33, as illustrated in Figure 3) may then be introduced into the body of the reservoir.

The piston-rod-guiding member 36 may be operatively snapped over the rear end of the lubricant reservoir either before or after the piston-rod 33 is screw-threadedly engaged with the follower hub l8. The lubricant-dispensing device may now be operated to discharge lubricant at a generally low pressure. Thus, by seizing and advancing the piston-rod handle 34, the lubricant follower .l4, which is now screwthreadedly engaged with the piston rod 33, is advanced axially through the body of the hibricant reservoir and serves to expel lubricant therefrom through the communicating passageways 23 and 24, past the hydraulically unseated check-valve 25 and through the discharge nozale 28. In the preferred embodiment, the screwthreaded connection between the piston-rod 33 and the follower hub I8 is preferably sufliciently snug to provide an effective seal preventing the escape of lubricant therebetween under lowpressure discharge conditions.

For high-pressure discharge of lubricant, the piston-rod 33 is freed from interlocking engagement withthe lubricant follower [4 by further rotation of the handle 34, causing the raised piston-rod screw-thread 35 to be threaded completely through and clear of the follower hub thread. I9. This changes the connection between piston-rod and follower from a fixed connection to a sliding connection. The piston-rod 33 is then axially advanced bringing the highpressure piston 32-into the high-pressure cylinder 24. The piston-rod 33 is thereafter manually reciprocated to and fro, the piston 32 being completely retracted from the high-pressure cylinder 24 into the piston-retraction chamber 23 on each return stroke.

During such high-pressure operation, the successive depletion of the lubricant supply within the body of the lubricant reservoir 1 is accompanied by a corresponding axial advance of the lubricant follower l4 (now slidably mounted on the piston-rod 33) through the body of the lubricant reservoir. The spaced hubs 38 and I8 maintain the piston-rod 33 and its associated high-pressure piston 32 in axial alignment with the high-pressure cylinder 24 disposed at the forward end of the lubricant reservoir, thereby preventing disarrangement and facilitating rapid operation of the lubricant dispensing device.

If desired, during high-pressure operation, the lubricant contents of the reservoir may be occasionally compacted and all air pockets, if

any, expelled by merely screw-threadedly engaging the piston-rod thread 35 with the internally threaded hub I8 of the lubricant follower I4 as if for low-pressure operation and thereafter merely slightly advancing said follower.

It will be seen that the hereinabove described lubricant dispensing device may be operated optionally, to dispense lubricant at either high or low discharge pressures to meet the varying requirements encountered in practice, and the change from one to the other may be rapidly and easily effected. The device is a compact and handy one, and may be produced at low cost.

The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential attributes thereof, and it is therefore desired that the present embodiments be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, reference being had to the appended claims rather than to the foregoing description to indicate the scope of the invention.

Having thus described the invention, what is hereby claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent, is:

1. A lubricant-dispensing device comprising a lubricant reservoir, a pump barrel secured thereto with its bore in operative communication therewith, a lubricant follower slidably disposed in said reservoir, said follower having a threaded aperture extending therethrough, a pump piston in operative alignment with the bore of said barrel and adapted to reciprocate therein, and a piston-rod extending rearwardly from said piston and through said follower ap erture, said piston-rod being provided with a screw-threaded portion readily engageable with the threaded follower aperture, and a handle at the end of said piston-rod for manual operation.

2. In a lubricant-dispensing device having a pump cylinder engaged with the front end of a cylindrical lubricant reservoir whose rear end bears an annular outwardly projecting bead, said device including a reciprocable piston-rod extending rearwardly through and beyond the body of said reservoir, a rod-guiding member secured to the rear end of said reservoir for holding said rod in alignment with said pump cylinder, said rod-guiding member including a Circular portion having a flanged outer periphery of a diameter large enough to be slipped over said beaded end of the reservoir, and bearing a plurality of inwardly-extending spring prongs struck from said flanged periphery and adapted to snap over the reservoir bead as the rod-guiding member is slipped over the end of said reservoir, and a hub portion at the center of said circular portion bearing a, hole. of substantial axial length, said hole being of uniform diameter and adapted slidably to receive said piston-rod.

RUSSELL J. GRAY. 

